Once upon a time, way back in the 1990’s, my college roommates and I were watching Jeopardy together. One of them came up with the brilliant idea that I, Cedric, should try to become a Jeopardy contestant. Not to win money, but to act the fool. The initial idea was that, for EVERY QUESTION (whether or not I thought I knew the correct response), I would ring in and say “What is a goat?” But we quickly decided that it would be even more fun, if I were to address the host by his first name with each response. So my question each and every time would be, “Alex, what is a goat?”

This got me to thinking – I know the rules of the game require the contestant to respond in the form of a question, but surely questions come in multiple forms. Why should it always simply be “Alex, what is a goat?” Why not switch it up a bit? Keep it fresh! Maybe one time I could say “Alex, what on Earth is a goat?” Then maybe, “Alex, what the devil is a goat?” Perhaps “Alex, what the living shit is a goat?” I might even get a little personal by asking “Alex, who was that goat I saw your mom with last night?”

Thinking back on this now, I can’t help but wonder how many times I could have rephrased the question before they would have thrown me out and started over with another contestant in my place. Or would they have just continued the episode with only two players? Maybe they’d just lock out my buzzer and shut off my microphone, but keep me there as eye candy. Oh, yeah…I’m easy on the eyes.